A "Briskin" had dared to trespass on forbidden Maxwell land—and that spells trouble. Meera Briskin is determined to find out for herself whether the Maxwells are the unmitigated rogues she has been taught to hate. The long-standing feud between the two families that began three generations ago—the result of a chestnut tree blight brought in from the Far East—is still very much alive.

Posing as a participant at a writers’ conference held at the famous Chestnut Lodge, run by none other than Elliot Maxwell, Meera soon is caught in the web of her own deception. Should she admit to being a Briskin and face immediate expulsion? Or should she linger, knowing that with each passing day that her feelings for her enemy grow stronger?

There’s madness in these mountains—and in the heart of one Briskin daughter.